August 7, 2013

Trichotillomania
is hair loss from repeated urges to pull or twist the hair until it breaks off.
Patients are unable to stop this behavior, even as their hair becomes thinner.

Symptoms

Symptoms
usually begin before age 17. The hair may come out in round patches or across
the scalp. The effect is an uneven appearance. The person may pluck other hairy
areas, such as the eyebrows, eyelashes, or body hair.

These symptoms are usually seen in children:

·An uneven appearance to the
hair

·Bare patches or all around
(diffuse) loss of hair

·Bowel blockage (obstruction)
if people eat the hair they pull out

·Constant tugging, pulling, or
twisting of hair

·Denying the hair pulling

·Hair regrowth that feels like
stubble in the bare spots

·Increasing sense of tension
before the hair pulling

·Other self-injury behaviors

·Sense of relief, pleasure, or
gratification after the hair pulling

Most people with this disorder also have problems with:

·Feeling sad or depressed

·Anxiety

·Poor self image

Treatment

Counseling
and Psychotherapy is the recommended treatment by the professionals.

The main
treatment for trichotillomania is a type of behavior therapy called habit
reversal training. With this approach, a person with trichotillomania first
learns to identify when and where he or she has the urge to pull hair. This
technique also teaches relaxation as a way to reduce some of the tension
associated with the urge and helps the person develop a different behavior to
use when the urge to pull hair occurs. This new activity, called a competing
response, might be as simple as making a fist with the hand that is used to
pull out the hair. Some therapists also use cognitive therapy as a way to
address any distorted thinking that might be adding to the stress that triggers
the behavior.